Even in my freshman year of high school, people (adults) would ask me what I wanted to do after high school; what college I wanted to got to. Many people expect you to be thinking seriously about what you want to be even at 13 years of age. The truth is, you may have an idea of what you want to do as an adult, but that idea will most likely change. Young teenagers change so much in their 4 years of high school. And sometimes, graduating seniors still don't know exactly what they're going to do.
So do you really need to discern your vocation in high school?
Well, the answer is half yes, half no. Yes, we should always be searching for the will of God in our lives and trying to live it out so that we can reach heaven. But no, we don't have to have everything figured out perfectly to the last detail in high school. We certainly shouldn't stress or obsess over it.
I used to think my vocational discernment began in high school (and maybe it really did) but I don't think I made any real progress until afterwards because that's when I really started putting time into discernment. High school keeps most teens super busy and at that time in our lives, we are called to just be good students. We are called to study, obey our parents and teachers, help around the household, and grow in holiness. These should come first.
After high school, I took not 1 but 2 gap years and in these years, I had time to spend with Our Lord in serious discernment of a religious vocation.
Now I'm not saying you should leave off discernment completely until graduation, not giving it another thought and just living it up in high school. No. I simply mean, please don't stress over figuring out your vocation as soon as possible. God may tell you right away exactly what you are meant to do but he might not and that's ok. His timing is perfect and we need to first learn to trust Him. Instead of worrying, here are some ideas of what to do so you can start pursuing God's will.
Pray! (hehehe). I know I say this a lot in my posts but it's often the simplest and easiest thing to do. Maybe starting morning and night prayers?? Here's a post I wrote not too long ago about integrating prayer into your life.
Read books about the Saints and religious life. I don't necessarily mean specific discernment books but just books on the lives of the Saints and the lives of religious (fiction or non-fiction.) These can be very helpful in giving you a picture of the religious life and they are fun to read as well. Here are a few ideas (links to Amazon):
- The Story of a Soul: The Autobiography of the Little Flower
- The Springs of Silence by Madeline (Sr. Mary Gilbert) Defrees
- Mary Was Her Life: The Story of Maria Teresa Quevedo
- Stories of Don Bosco by Peter Lappin
- A Soldier Surrenders: The Conversion of Saint Camillus de Lellis (This is fiction but a great story based on the life of a Saint full of grace and virtue.)
Take advantage of the time you have at Mass and adoration. You may not be able to (or have time to) drive yourself yet to adoration and daily Mass, but don't stress about it. Just try to make the most of the times that your family goes to Sunday Mass or adoration. Spend some extra time just sitting with Jesus after Mass on Sunday. Quiet your heart and just adore Him. The more we are "in-tune" with God, the more we will be able to hear His still, small voice throughout our lives.
Grow and develop yourself; body, mind, and soul. We learn something new everyday and it's often about ourselves. Maybe we'll discover a hidden talent or maybe a virtue that we need to cultivate. Take care of yourself and your relationships with other people. God often uses those around us to guide us, so having meaningful relationships with family and friends is important. We can all help each other find our vocations and our way to Heaven!!
Don't date. Jk. Don't just have a boyfriend because it's the thing to do in high school. I know what I'm saying isn't the popular thing to say, but it's true. Dating should be treated as a form of discernment and should be a serious relationship in which two people discern whether they are compatible and want to make a lifelong commitment to each other. Whether you're dating or discerning, you're trying to figure out your vocation, your calling from God. Instead of casual dating, try to work on your relationship with God. This starts with understanding Him which leads to my final piece of advice.
Get to know God and strengthen your relationship with Him. Remember to turn to Him always when things are difficult. His love and mercy are always there for you. Before you can become "the bride of Christ," you have to get to know Him and love Him!! This is sooo very important and is a step many of us often forget about. Spend time with Our Lord in prayer and spend time with Him in the people around you; your parents, siblings, friends, etc. As we get to know Our Lord better we will rely more on Him and our trust will grow so that He can guide us in His perfect and holy Will for our lives!
Know, love, and serve God in this life so that you can be happy with Him in the next. Remember to take one day at a time and do God's will for today! That is how He will lead us in our life's vocation for the future! Please know I'm praying for you that God bless you in your high school journey! Pray, hope, and don't worry!!
In corde Mariae,
Sarah
